Experiment Gone Wrong
by pumpkinnubbin
Summary: When an experiment goes wrong, Nikola gets transformed into a kitten and Helen has to take care of him. Fluff ahead. Multi-Chapter fic; if you have ideas, lemme know.
1. Experiment Gone Wrong

There was a loud noise coming from the lab and seconds later Henry's voice filled her ears.

"Ahm... Doc... We have a problem over here."

Helen sighed, wondering what had happened this time. Nikola and Henry had spent the last couple of days in the lab on some new invention. She hadn't exactly bothered to ask for more information than was strictly necessary. She walked over to the lab and stopped as soon as she entered.

"What happened here? Where's Nikola?"

Henry bit his lip and raised his eyebrows; he was so not looking forward to tell her the news. He pointed to the far corner of the room and stepped back to let her pass.

"Henry..."

"I don't know what went wrong, Doc. I'm checking everything but there is nothing. I'll work on it."

Helen sighed heavily and kneeled down, smiling at the two dark orbs looking at her.

Will entered the lab that second and frowned when Helen walked back to them.

"What happened here and where's that kitten coming from?" He asked once he had spotted the kitten in Helen's arms.

"I'm afraid that's Nikola..." Helen smiled.

"What the _hell_ happened here?"

"Dunno yet."

"Henry, you figure out how to redo this and I'll take care of him until then... Will, maybe you can help him a little. The faster the better."

The boys looked at each other and shrugged while Helen left for her office, sighing again with a kitten-Nikola snuggling into her arms. She had to admit though, he was really cute with his dark eyes and the black fur. She absently let her fingers go through his fur and heard him purr softly. She couldn't help the small chuckle and shook her head when he lifted his up to look at her.

"Don't look at me like that."

They reached her office and Helen sat down on the couch shortly, placing Nikola next to her. Her head fell back on the couch and she closed her eyes. This was going to be a hell of a day.

Nikola decided to climb up the sofa to lick her face in the meantime. She smiled and opened her eyes again when she felt it, scratching him.

"I have work to do, though. You stay here. Take a nap or something."

She got up and he meowed in protest. He wanted attention. He wanted her attention. She ignored it and sat down on her desk, glancing up at the kitten then and there.

Helen worked on paperwork still when Nikola was bored and jumped on her desk, walking over the keyboard and her files.

"Niko! Not now; I have work to do."

She didn't hear how Kate entered the room after knocking gently.

"Wow, when Will said Tesla was turned into a kitten I really didn't believe him." She said when she spotted him on the desk.

Helen looked up at her helplessly.

"You ever had cats? I don't know what to do with him."

"Well, since this is still Tesla, I'd say he wants cuddles, scratchy and some attention from you. So, same as ever, really."

Helen glared at her but the smile on her face gave her away.

"Did you need something?"

Kate came in and stepped to the desk, scratching Nikola shortly as he looked at her and she at him.

"No, actually. Just wanted to see for myself." She said, "He's really cute like that. Are you sure you want the old one back?"

Nikola turned his head and she could swear he was offended. Kate laughed and waved her goodbye before leaving again.

Nikola looked back at Helen and tried climbing on her shoulders but she grabbed him before he could and placed him in her lap, scratching softly.

She felt like some epic super villain from a clichéd movie.

"Seriously, what am I going to do with you?"

He seemed to ignore her question as he snuggled into her. Laying his head on his paws he made himself comfortable. She kept stroking through his fur until he fell asleep. Helen sighed but smiled. She tried working some more and after her current file was done, she leaned back and watched Nikola for a while. She didn't want to wake him up already. Helen had absolutely no idea how to handle a little kitten; yet alone Nikola as a kitten. She somehow fell asleep a bit later until Nikola woke up again and meowed until she awoke.

Helen stretched to get the uncomfortable feeling out of her body and looked down at him.

"Hey, are you hungry?"

He meowed again and she took that as a yes. A glance at the clock made her yawn: It was two in the morning. She had slept around three hours or so. Nikola jumped on the desk again and then down on the floor before walking to the doorway where he waited for Helen to follow.

They walked to the kitchen together and she looked for something to give him to eat. She smiled when she got lucky in one of the shelves.

"Looks like the BigGuy likes your new self enough to get you some actual cat food." She mused and grabbed a plate to put the food on it.

Nikola couldn't wait to eat; he was starving. He didn't even care that it was cat food as long as he got food. When she finally placed the plate on the ground there was no stopping him. After a while, he sat upright and used his paw as a fork. He shovelled the food on it and then licked it off.

Helen shook her head, laughing softly at him. Even as a kitten... Really?

He looked up at her, possibly confused and her laughter ebbed down to a soft chuckle. Nikola turned back around and continued eating for another minute.

"Now, we should go to bed... I can't believe I just said that."

Helen could swear she saw a smirk on Nikola's face and she rolled her eyes.

They reached her bedroom and he almost instantly jumped on the bed and lay down on one of the pillows. Helen tried to look offended but he looked so cute laying there and looking at her like that that she really couldn't. As if he knew what she was thinking, he rolled onto his back and raised his paws, his eyes fixed on her. She nearly aw'ed out loud, almost forgetting that the adorable little kitten on her bed was Nikola Tesla. She smiled and crawled under the blanket before scratching his belly. He was meowing and purring, signalling her that he was happy and her smile softened further. She let her finger trail over the bridge of his nose and he rolled back on his paws, walking the few inches over to her. He licked her cheek and nose before she cuddled her face in his fur for a few seconds. She gave him a soft kiss on his head before she made herself comfortable to sleep. A smile spread across her face when she felt him snuggle in right beside her.


	2. Nothing Changes

It had been close to a week now. Henry had tried the first couple of days to find out what had gone wrong that had caused Nikola's current position but got nothing. It turned out to be way harder without Tesla around. Helen had given him a break after that. He had been working all day and night, the others too, when they hadn't been chasing abnormals. If they'd be burned out, it would only take even longer than it already did to find a solution for the problem. And being completely honest with herself, Helen had to admit that she was being a bit selfish as well. She liked Nikola; or rather Niko as she liked to refer to his kitten self; way too much like this. Of course he was still a little trouble maker sometimes but nothing serious. What kind of damage could a Nikola-kitten do anyway? And she couldn't stay mad at him for a second either. He was just too adorable. Always with the cute little innocent face whenever she looked at him. They had spent most of the time together- mostly because whenever someone tried to pick him up and walk away from Helen, he'd scratch and bite whatever he could reach until he was back in her arms. They had all learned that lesson at last at the third day and stopped trying ever since. He spent almost every free minute (and he had a lot of those now) on her lap or cuddled into her side, purring in pure content. He would curl up into her when they went to sleep and wake her up by licking her face or walking on her when he had slept there before. Helen knew that sometimes she forgot that Niko was indeed Nikola and she was pretty sure that he could tell whenever it happened. If he would remember his cat-life later she would never hear the end of this. She really didn't mind all that much. He didn't seem to mind his new name either. She could swear he smiled every time she called him Niko and he also seemed to become cuddlier with each time. She said it as often as she possibly could.

"Niko! Get down from there!" Helen shouted when he jumped on one of the bookshelves.

He meowed and looked at her. He was lost. She shook her head and chuckled as she walked up to him. Helen stopped right in front of him and bent down on eye level to have a little staring contest with him.

"And now you can't get down on your own anymore, eh? Or maybe you were just waiting for me to carry you again?"

Niko meowed again and she smiled.

"Thought so... Come here." She gestured to her shoulder and he climbed on it, licking her face as a thanks.

"You're enjoying this far too much, you know?" Helen mused as she gently scratched his head.

She sat back down on the couch where Niko gracefully slid down to curl into a little ball in her lap. She was going to miss this once it was over. Perhaps she should get herself a little kitten and call it Niko after.

Her fingers trailed through his fur and she smiled down at his half asleep form; a picture they had gotten used to the past few days. The purring sound coming from him only increased her smile. She had known before that he was genuinely happy when he was around her but having a constant and honest reminder made it so much more real.

"I'm enjoying this far too much, too." She whispered, not caring if he heard her or not.

He probably already knew anyway. There was a gentle knock on the door and she looked up, only to find Kate smiling at her and Niko.

"What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, really... You've grown used to him. Like this, I mean. Do you think Hank will manage to turn him back?"

"I hope so but for now this is okay, too. At least he's not making trouble...much."

"I was right, though... He only wants to be with you. He has your attention and he's the sweetest kitten on earth. Funny how some things just don't change." Kate nodded.

They both watched Niko in silence for a while, smiling, before Kate spoke up again.

"Anyway, I gotta go back and help Hank."

With that she disappeared and left a daydreaming Helen behind. She was right. Her computer beeped when she got an email and she snapped out of it. Gently lifting Niko, she tried not to wake him as she placed him back on the couch next to her but he meowed in protest when she walked away. So much to not waking him up. She could see how he wanted to get up as he moved to follow her so she stopped him before he could.

"No, sweetie. Stay there and sleep some more. I didn't mean to wake you up in the first place. I'll be right back." She smiled, barely noticing the endearment that had slipped.

But he had, was it the only reason he decided to stay put and lay his head back down on his paws, his eyes never leaving her. She knew he was still watching her although he was already half asleep again. Helen checked and answered the new email before she took the opportunity to do some more paperwork. That was when Will's voice rang through the speakers, telling her about a new abnormal not far from them; asking her if she wanted to come along. Helen looked over to the couch. Niko hadn't moved and she assumed he was fast asleep so she grabbed her things and walked over to him.

"Gotta go, Niko. I'll be back before you know it." She whispered, snuggling her face into his fur, placing a soft kiss there.

Then she finally answered Will and left to meet up with him and Kate in the foyer; Henry wanted to stay behind him to keep trying on the machine to un-kitten Niko.

The abnormal they found in a warehouse close-by was a cat like creature. It was gorgeous and intimidating and had a sense of pride coming from it. It looked like a white panther, only with wings. Like a Pegasus. Talk about coincidence. It wasn't quite like anything they had seen before and nothing they were used to, but it was no problem either. It was rather cooperative and went with them pretty fast. It didn't like it out there all that much and it knew that the Sanctuary had to offer something. They were back about two hours later only.

They were greeted by Henry and Niko.

"Thank God you're back, Doc.! He's been meowing ever since he woke up! Like it's my fault you were out or something. And he wouldn't leave me alone."

As if to prove the point, Niko meowed up at her and after giving Will further instructions, she picked Niko up with a heavy sigh. He licked her cheek and nose and she couldn't help but smile.

Henry who was just glad that Niko wasn't walking around the Sanctuary anymore, left back to his lab, closely followed by Kate.

"What am I going to do with you, huh? You can't go crazy like this every time I'm out for a while. And don't give me that look, you know I'm right." Helen stated and mentally shook her head at herself; she was talking to a kitten like it was a little child, done something stupid. He tried to lick her cheek again; maybe as an apology, she couldn't tell but she moved her head back a bit so he couldn't reach her anymore, "Ah-ah. Not this time."

She could swear he was pouting at her and as much as she tried, Helen just couldn't stay mad at him; not that she really was in the first place. She kissed his head and saw him smile, as far as she could tell at least but knowing Nikola, there was a huge grin on his face.

"You know... It's really cute, actually." She admitted out loud and then chuckled.

This whole situation was so upside down.

When they got to her room, Niko wanted to be put back down and as soon as his paws hit the ground, he ran over to the bed and jumped on it; curling up in his now usual spot and purred softly. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips. This looked more and more like his bed than hers. He already had his own spot.

Helen was tired and for a moment she forgot that the cute kitten on her bed was Nikola as she simply changed in front of him, back turned towards the bed. When she turned around again, she blushed as realization hit her but then she shook her head. It was a kitten... and he had his head turned away from her. She was being ridiculous. Helen smiled, though as she bit her lip lightly. How very thoughtful of him.

She climbed into bed and lay on her side, her head resting in her hand while the other softly stroke through Nikos fur. His head shot up and he licked her hand until she gently scratched his neck. She kissed the top of his head and lay her own right behind him.

"Goodnight, Niko." She whispered, her hand still scratching him until she was too tired to do so anymore. She didn't pull her hand away, though.

Niko curled himself tighter together and used her hand as a pillow.

They were asleep mere minutes later.


	3. Wine

Helen woke up in the middle of the night and instantly noticed the lack of warmth next to her. When she opened her eyes she saw that Niko wasn't there anymore. She looked around but he was nowhere to be found. That was odd. She had made sure to have everything he needed in her room and bathroom so they wouldn't have to cross the whole Sanctuary only to get something he needed. He rather stayed in her room anyway. Where could he be? Helen thought about it as she got up and trailed through the building until an idea hit her and she stayed with it. Just when she walked around the last corner to get there she heard a crash and the sound of glass shattering and she ran a bit faster. The wine cellar. At least she had been right but where else could she have possibly found him? It _was_ Nikola after all. She stepped in further, following the silent noise she heard. At her last turn, she found Niko sitting in front of a broken bottle, licking the wine off of the ground. He was careful not to hurt himself with the glass.

"Niko! What are you doing, sweetie? You'll get sick!" She said as she walked over to him to pick him up.

He meowed randomly and licked her cheek, his paws steadying him on her collarbone. She'd guess that he was drunk. Great. A drunk Nikola as a kitten. Awesome. He kept on licking her cheek and she couldn't help but chuckle. Helen somehow managed to make him stop; only to have him back to meowing all the way back to her room. Drunk talk for kittens. Interesting. Once they were back in her room, she placed him on her bed and sat down herself. He walked back on her lap and stretched so that he could lick her cheek again.

"I love you, too. But you can't just go around and destroy wine bottles, yet alone drink it. You're going to be sick later."

He stopped and looked at her for a moment before poking his head against hers. Helen fell backwards on the pillow and started laughing. She let her fingers trail through his fur again and smiled softly down at him.

"You're quite something, you know that? Getting drunk as your current self.. Go back to sleep, alright?"

Niko moved a little so that his head was resting just below her collarbone. She held him to her as she bent forward to grab the blanket before laying back down and covering them both with it. He meowed another time and purred her to sleep. Snuggling in some more, he fell asleep again soon after himself.

When Helen woke up again the next morning, Niko was meowing sadly. He sounded sick.

"Aw, I told you you'd be sick..." She pitied him and got up, holding him in her arms before walking out of the room to find the others.

She found Will and the BigGuy in the media room and only a couple of seconds later, Henry and Kate entered as well.

"Morning, Doc. You're up late today. What's up?

"Niko here decided to get some wine last night. Now he's sick and I'm not sure what to do."

BigGuy made a grumpy noise at that- he had to clean up the mess Niko had made that night.

"He got himself drunk?" Will asked, eyeing the kitten carefully.

Niko meowed almost pathetically at that and Kate stepped closer. She softly scratched his head, then sighed.

"It'll pass but I could check to get some pills just in case?"

"He deserves it, Magnus. Should let it pass without pills. Maybe he'll learn his lesson that way." Will said and only shrugged when Helen glared disapprovingly at him.

"Get the pills. If he should ever try something like this again, I'd like to have them around. Oh, wait, I have the address of a vet somewhere. An old friend of mine. You can explain everything to him without having to leave something possibly important out."

Kate nodded and Helen gave her Niko before getting the address. He barely even protested but only cuddled into Kate's arms a bit further.

"You know, maybe you should just take him with you Let Pat have a look at him." Helen suggested and handed Kate the vet's card.

Kate nodded again and before she could leave, Helen scratched Niko once more. The vet wasn't too far away so Kate decided to walk the couple of blocks. It was nice outside after all. She waved a quick goodbye and ran off.

"You're too soft on Tesla." Will exclaimed suddenly and everyone turned to look at him.

"He's my oldest and best friend. You'd be 'soft' on yours, too."

Helen turned around and left for the library, leaving the others behind. Henry shook his head and the BigGuy joined in. Then they left as well, walking towards the lab to work on a solution for Nikola's problem.

"What?" Will yelled after them but didn't get an answer, "What did do?"

A soft knock on the door made Helen put the book aside and look up. She smiled when she saw Kate standing there; a soft smile on her lips, raised eyebrows, Niko on one arm and shaking a bottle of pills with her other hand. Helen got up and walked over to them.

"You're the best, Kate, thank you. I hope he didn't make any trouble?" She asked, pointing at Niko.

Kate shook her head, laughing.

"No, I think he was too exhausted to bother. Patrick asked me to tell you 'it's a shame you never called back'. That, Niko here seemed to mind a little. Anyway, he's supposed to get the pills when he needs them but not more than two a day. He already got one to settle his stomach at the vet's."

Helen laughed softly and took the bottle and Niko, nodding at Kate to signal her that she had understood everything. Kate smiled again and then left.

Helen put the pills in her pocket and then lifted Niko up to look at him. He looked better and meowed happily at her sight. She smiled softly.

"It's good to see you're better. I'm also glad to hear you were cooperative. Henry is still working on finding a solution, too."

Niko stretched and she pulled him closer again. She smiled when he reached up to lick her face before snuggling in.

"Who would have guessed you're such a cuddler, huh?" She mused.

She looked around, thinking about what to do next. She wanted to continue reading but a couch would be more comfortable for the both of them, so she grabbed the book she'd been reading earlier and left for her office. She could lay down on her couch, read and have Niko snuggling in that way.

They reached the office a couple of minutes later and Helen made herself comfortable on the couch; her head resting on the armrest. Niko found a nice place in her lap while she started reading again.

Several hours later, the book was put aside and Niko was half asleep, enjoying the gentle caress of her fingers through his fur. She was smiling down at him, then simply stared at the ceiling. There was nothing to do that day; only waiting for Henry to figure out a way to transform Niko back to his old self or at least find out what had gone wrong in the first place. She knew the thought of having the old one back should make her happy but it did the opposite. Niko, sensing the shift of emotions in her, got up and walked on her onto her chest and meowed, getting her attention as she stared back at him. He lay down again and purred softly, hoping it would calm her down and get the sadness to leave again.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm fine, just thinking, okay?"

He wanted to talk to her, hug her- anything to make her feel better and help but he couldn't. Instead, he settled for being there and purring. It would hopefully be enough. He hated seeing her upset like that- being a kitten or not. She knew he wanted to help and it cheered her up. He was incredibly sweet this way.

"Thanks, Niko. I appreciate the concern. It's really sweet."

He meowed and she brushed her fingers through his fur. She sat up enough to give him a kiss under his ear then and smiled.

"You're the best." She whispered and gave him another one.

He purred and snuggled back into his spot. He would remind her of her words whenever he could speak again.


	4. Spoon

_I'm truly sorry for the delay with this and I hope the Chapter will make up for the wait! I had a couple of problems and issues that made writing impossible and I lacked ideas but I have enough again for the next couple of chapters so that should not be the problem anymore. I hope you're all still with me and as always, if you have any ideas of what could happen or what you want to see, leave me a note with it and I'll do my best to include it. This chapter is for Jess, who I promised the next one even if I didn't manage to make it look like what we had in mind. Sorry._

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><p>Niko meowed happily as he woke up and found her smiling down at him. He cuddled into her hand that was still a very nice pillow. She didn't have any plans for the day so she had thought they could just have a fun day. Her complete day off, so to say. She sighed contently and he looked up at her curiously.<p>

"No work today unless something extremely urgent comes up." Helen smiled, moving her hand from under his head to scratch him softly.

He purred before climbing on her lap, waiting. She couldn't tell what for so she simply continued what she had done a minute ago. He seemed content so she guessed it was what he had wanted her to do. Again.

"I'll have to check up on Henry, though. See how it's going."

Helen could feel the smile radiating from him and it made her happy as well.

They stayed like that for a while, she didn't know for how long but it had still been early when they had woken up. A couple of hours, she guessed, later Helen decided to finally get up. He protested but she knew he'd follow her anywhere even if he didn't want to get up. She went to the door and he stretched gracefully before following her. They went to the kitchen and she made herself breakfast. Niko jumped on the counter and walked over to the sink to scratch his head. She shook hers at him.

When she finished her sandwich she got herself a yoghurt and Niko peeked up, coming over to her. He sniffled the yoghurt and put his head a bit inside to lick some out to eat.

"Hey! That's mine." Helen laughed and pulled the yoghurt away, leaving him to stare at her with food in his face.

She couldn't contain her laughter over him before she grabbed a tissue and tried to get it off of him again. She placed her spoon aside and cleaned the kitten up.

He felt something on his side suddenly and almost rolled over at the try to catch it with his paws. Helen watched him amused and curiously.

The spoon was glued to his side. She guessed that he was still somewhat electromagnetic. It surely looked like it anyway. He looked extremely cute and lost and it was really funny to watch him hunt the spoon without being anywhere near successful with it.

Niko went from one side to the other and nearly rolled onto his side but she caught him before he could do so. She didn't want him to hurt himself. She gently helped getting rid of the spoon but before Niko could go very far, the silverware was stuck on him again. Helen chuckled over his face. She could imagine what it would look like if he was his human self. Not at all amused.

He pawed the spoon, could he could actually reach it this time and started to play with it, growing to have fun with every passing second. Helen put her elbow on the table and her head found her hand's support as she kept watching him with a soft smile on her lips once more. She could swear that by now he was smiling, too. He managed to get it off of him again and he jumped back shortly as if it was his prey, laying on the table. Niko stalked it for a while, pawing it from time to time, almost disappointed when it didn't react in any way. He jumped on it once, fighting it fiercly and for a couple of moments, Helen couldn't even tell who was winning. He ran off several feet as if hit or defeated and she couldn't help the chuckle that escaped.

She grabbed the spoon once again and teased him to attack it again. He hadn't done anything like that since he had transformed and she guessed that he needed that now and now would be as good a time as ever. They played like that for a while until Niko seemed to grow tired, or bored, she couldn't tell and didn't really care either.

"You really needed that, huh?" She smiled, scratching his head gently when he got close enough to do so.

Helen picked him up then and walked to the main lab where she knew the team had already settled for the day. Once she was there, she was greeted by their smiles and she smiled back, nodding.

"Good morning, Doc. What's up?"

"Morning. It seems that Niko here is still somehow electromagnetic."

"He is?"

"Looks like it at least. He had a spoon glued to him earlier." Helen mused and Kate started laughing. That must have been fun.

"What are you gonna do now? Any tests?" Will asked curiously.

Niko protested instantly, meowing almost frantically as he heard the word 'tests'. He was not very fond of those. Especially not now that he was a kitten and could barely do anything.

"I'll keep an eye on it for now. Perhaps it was only a one time occurance."

"Who knows, maybe you got yourself a vampire kitten." Kate chuckled and Helen looked down at Niko who had his head lifted up to her, staring.

"I suppose we'll see about that later. I'm in my office, should you need something." She smiled shortly and left again, lost in thoughts.

Kate had a valid point. If he was still, or again, electromagnetic then there was a chance that his vampire self was there as well. How, if or when it would show through she couldn't tell. She had no idea how that would end up working. An electromagnetic and possibly immortal vampire kitten. She ended up with the strangest things…

She'd have to keep an eye out for all of that. If his magnetism only got back now, then perhaps it meant that he was transforming back to his human self on his own slowly. Henry still hadn't figured out a way to redo Nikola's situation. In fact, she was fairly certain that he couldn't even tell yet what had caused it in the first place. Maybe this could work as a solution somehow. She'd think this option through later.

They reached her office and Niko went to his favourite spot on the couch as soon as she let him down, watching her as she walked over to her desk and sat down on it. Helen wanted to do some research on the topic but she had no place whatsoever to even begin with. It's not like she had ever encountered a problem like this. Not to mention that Nikola still was the only vampire on earth, and magnetic at that… and now a kitten. She rubbed her temple briefly. This was perfect. Just perfect. How did she always manage to get stuck with the unsolvable?

"I wish you could just tell me what you think of all of this, Niko…"

That would be extremely helpful indeed. Or if he could just tell her how he was feeling; or when the magnetism had come back- if it had ever left in the first place. She smiled at him when he meowed somewhat sadly.

"I know, sweetie."

He wanted to help, work and research but he was trapped and stuck as a kitten. Not that either one of them fully minded. He was adorable after all and quiet; mostly; and for him it had a lot of positive sides too. He got to cuddle her and sleep in one bed with her without the fear of getting shot. What more could he possibly ask for? Besides doing that as his human self of course.

"We'll figure it out." Helen smiled widely and Niko got up from his spot to get to her.

He wanted cuddled. Now. He meowed again and jumped on the desk, walking up to her and leaning up to lick her face, his paws steadying himself on her collarbone once more. She gently grabbed him after a while and placed him on her lap, scratching softly.

"We always figure it out, don't we?"

He looked up at her, smiling, she could see, and purred.

"Yeah. We just need some patience." She smiled again and continued scratching him until he dozed off, his head on his paws.

Helen turned her chair lightly so she could work on her computer for a while. Even if she couldn't work on researching this or finding out a solution right away, she had some other things she could take care of in the meantime as well. That would take her a while and she just hoped that Niko would nap through so she could finish everything before all her attention was on him again.


	5. Bathtub And Interruptions

_Hey guys! See? I promised you this one would come sooner than the last one and here it is! Was missing a couple of reviews but whatever. Oh, and hello to the the new guys who're reading this and faved/alerted. I hope this one won't disappoint :) Hope you can find the time to check out my new story 'Granny Helen' as well. I know it#s set under Henry/Helen but it's a Teslen and Henry/Erica one so don't worry about that._

_Anyway, have fun reading! I know I had fun writing it ;)_

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><p>Later the same day, they were back in her room; Helen seated at her desk, working a bit and Niko laying on the bed, watching her carefully. He meowed at her from time to time and she gave him a smile each time, promising him to she wouldn't take much longer. After another couple of hours, he protested, had she still not stopped working so he made his way over to her desk and jumped on it, effectively distracting her from whatever she was going to do next. She sighed and scratched him for a while, giving up on trying to resume the task at hand that was not him.<p>

"Sorry about that."

Niko purred softly and licked her hand a couple of times. Helen smiled down at him softly, inwardly shaking her head. How was this even the same Nikola she knew? She forgot it more often recently, having a very hard time to remind herself of the fact that the kitten currently licking her cheek was her best friend.

It became dark outside hours later and she eventually got up, shutting down the computer and picking up Niko. She walked over to the bed and dropped him there. He curled up into a little ball almost instantly, staring up at her. He clearly expected her to come and cuddle. She shook her head apologetic and she could swear she saw him pouting at her but she ignored it although she felt bad for him all the same.

"I'm going to take a bath first. You'll have to wait a little." She stated.

He let his head drop on his paws, choosing to ignore her for not cuddling him. Helen pursed her lips at the action. Typical Nikola. Shaking her head, she walked over to the bathroom, letting the water fill the tub before she went back out to grab her pj's. Her gaze fell on Niko for a moment but he seemed to either be asleep already or still ignoring her to the best. She couldn't quite tell which one it was as she passed him once more. She waited for the water to reach a certain height before she stopped it and got out of her clothes. She relaxed nearly instantly once she got in and she absently played with the bubbles in the water.

Helen had no idea how long she was there when she heard movements in the room and she opened her previously closed eyes. Her head snapped around to the side and she nearly had a heart attack when Niko suddenly jumped on the edge of the tub, balancing himself rather gracefully on the small space. Her gaze flickered to the door and she silently cursed herself. She had forgotten to shut it close. Wonderful. Niko meowed at her but she wasn't at all sure what for. Apparently he had had enough of waiting for her to come back out. She had completely lost track of time.

"Niko! Get out."

Helen actually sank a bit further into the water, the bubbles covering her, as she remembered who was staring at her in her bathroom. That was kind of awkward.

"Come on." She shooed him but he didn't look like he was going to make any efforts in moving anywhere close to the door.

He walked up and down the side for a while and tried to poke her face with his paw when he slipped, landing ungracefully in the water and he shrieked a meow. Getting himself together enough to jump back out of the tub moments later, he used Helen as a somewhat stable underground to push himself off enough and scratched her in the process. She hissed lightly but quickly dismissed it as she looked over at Niko who was sitting on the floor, shaking madly as he tried to get rid of the water. He looked lost and, quite frankly, a bit pathetic all soaked and she couldn't help but pity him, trying hard not to laugh or chuckle. He would be offended but it really wasn't easy to remain serious given the situation. She knew he was alright, shocked but fine.

He stared up at her and she sighed before getting out of the water and quickly grabbing her towel to cover herself. Helen took another one from close-by and walked up to Niko to wrap him in it, gently picking him up and making her way back into her room where she put him down on the bed once more before she sat down herself, rubbing him dry carefully.

Will suddenly came bursting in, worried when she hadn't answered his knows and he froze instantly in his tracks when he saw what he had just run in to. That towel wasn't covering much and the way she sat was definitely not helping his matter and he blushed before focusing on the kitten.

"Sorry… What's he done this time? You're bleeding…" He mumbled, trying to keep his gaze away from her legs.

Helen glanced up at her protégé before she threw a look down her leg. It was indeed bleeding a little. Niko had been coming up with quite some force when he had pushed himself off of her.

"He fell into the water. What are you doing here?" She asked, rather unnerved.

"I knocked but you didn't answer so I got worried and came in. Couldn't know you'd be … busy. Did you just say he fell into the water?"

"Yes. He walked on the bathtub and slipped. Scratched me when he jumped back out hence the bleeding. Why were you looking for me?"

Helen was watching him cautiously, still rubbing Niko gently.

"Henry has news, I think. What the hell was he doing in the bathroom with you?"

She glared at his tone of voice. She didn't like it.

"I forgot to close the door. What kind of news?"

"Yeah, 'forgot' …" He mumbled under his breath, "Ahm, I don't know. He just said to get you and, well, him so I guess it's about Tesla's current … position."

"I'll be there in ten. Now, get out." Helen shortly stated, half glaring at Will as she returned her full attention to Niko once more.

The younger man shook his head, eyes trained on the kitten. He really didn't like it. She was being ridiculously protective and caring about the little troublemaker and knowing Tesla, Will had no doubt whatsoever that he had somehow done that on purpose. As on cue, Niko turned his head towards him and as lost as he still looked, the protégé could swear to see him smirking smugly at him. Will growled and Helen looked back up at him as if she only realized now that he was still in her room.

"I told you to leave."

"Hmpf, yeah, whatever. Sorry for interrupting." He mumbled before he eventually left again.

Once outside, he took a deep breath and draped his hands over his face. This was just fantastic and he had just seen more than he had wanted to. Perfect. And awkward.

Helen sighed and Niko turned his attention back to her, meowing softly.

"Sorry about that…" She said quietly, not sure why she was apologizing in the first place or what for exactly.

Niko let his gaze wander and meowed again when he spotted the blood on her thigh. He felt bad about that, had he not meant to hurt her in any way. Not that he had intended to fall into the water and get himself soaked either. Although he was hardly complaining about that anymore with all the attention he got now. He shook her hand off and she put the towel aside when he walked the few inches to the injury, sniffling it before licking around it shortly. Helen gently lay her hand over it, covering it and preventing Niko from getting to it again before she cupped his face in her hand, smiling down at him.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie."

She knew he did anyway but she hoped to be able to convince him to leave it be. It was fine and it didn't even hurt. Helen knew it had been an accident no matter what Will thought, and she had a feeling he would disagree with her on it, but accidents happened. She wasn't mad at him; there was no reason to be. Niko smiled at her and started purring, somewhat of an apology she guessed and she scratched him gently.

She continued drying him as well as she could so she could be there in the ten minutes she had told Will she'd take to get to Henry. Helen sighed shortly before she got up to get some clothes on, not even caring if Niko saw her or not before she walked back to him and wrapped him in the towel. He wasn't completely dry yet so she had to improvise and she didn't want to keep the others waiting so this would have to do. She picked the kitten up again and made her way to the labs.


	6. Inconvenience

_I know I'm kinda late again and I apologise but I got caught up in work for Small Pebbles and some personal issues. This chapter is a tad longer than the previous one and I hope it's going to make up for the wait. I'll try to get the next one done within the next week but no promises. Also, if you like Will, here's a fair warning: Niko doesn't._

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><p>They arrived at the lab in question a couple of minutes later, precisely on time and found the whole team there, staring at the screens Henry was working on. Kate was the first to notice them and smiled brightly as she walked over to them, having Henry and Will follow her with their eyes as they, too, noticed Helen and Niko.<p>

"I heard what happened, Doc. Told you it's still Tesla." Kate grinned and Helen chuckled, somewhat amused.

That she had indeed. Niko looked up at her, offended but he wore a smug smile on his face and Kate bursted out laughing as she scratched him gently. That man – kitten – was unbelievable. Will and Henry looked over to them, not sure what to think and Helen stepped closer.

"Henry. What's the news Will spoke of?" She asked, smiling still.

Henry snapped out of his thoughts and scooted over so she could see what he had been showing the others.

"Okay, so I _think_ I figured out what went wrong. I checked the protocols again and you see that spike there?" He asked, pointing at the screen, "It's way too high. It should be at half of what it is and I think Tesla's electromagnetism might be the cause. It must have interfered accidentally and caused a power spike that went back to the source."

"Nikola." Helen translated, looking from the screen to the kitten in her arms as Henry nodded.

Well, that certainly _would_ explain things. Niko went to climb on her shoulder despite her protests and the towel she had wrapped him in fell to the floor as she tried to stop him. She sighed, shaking her head and stared back at the screen, all eyes on her.

"Any idea how to solve the problem yet?"

"Working on it. Now that we know what happened I have at least a place to start from. I should be able to figure something out."

Helen turned her head to Will then, finding him eyeing her and Niko suspiciously. He clearly didn't like it and he glared briefly at the kitten when he looked at him.

"It's gonna take a while but I'll let you know as soon as I got something." Henry said.

"Thank you. Anything else you need?"

"No, no, I'm fine." Henry waved off, getting back to work and Helen turned to the other two fully, silently asking them the same question.

Kate shook her head, still grinning over Niko as Helen tried to remain steady and balanced and Will only huffed shortly. If anything, he couldn't stand Niko in his current state even worse than as a Vampire.

"Kate? I'm afraid I have to ask you to look after Niko tomorrow. I have a meeting outside of town."

Kate winced lightly.

"I'd love to but I can't, either. I'm meeting my brother in the morning, remember?"

Helen sighed. Perfect. She turned back to Will then. He was her only option left. When he noticed where this was going, he raised his hands and shook his head violently.

"Oh, no. No, Magnus. I am so not going to take care of him. He's even more annoying now because no matter what he does, you don't care. I am not doing that." He said, pointing at the kitten before Niko growled at him, "See? He doesn't want me to either! He hates me, Magnus!"

"Will. I can't let him be on his own when I'm gone. Henry has work to do and we all know what happened last time and frankly, I'd ask the BigGuy if I wouldn't know that it'd look worse than with you. Besides, what if he hurts himself? Right now, he's like a kid, he needs someone to look after him."

Niko looked down at her, poking her head with his, offended. He was no kid.

"And clean up after him…"

"Will, I'm afraid you won't have a saying in this. I'm off around 10am and he is not to be left alone. I'll bring him by your office before I go."

"Fine. Whatever."

Helen nodded briefly before she carefully picked up the towel, steadying Niko on her shoulders with one hand and straightening up again once she had grabbed the item. She quickly smiled at everyone, bidding her goodnight as she left for her room. It took her longer than usual, careful to balance Niko out as he just wouldn't leave her shoulders.

She put him down on her bed once they had arrived and she went to the bathroom quickly to throw the towel aside and change. She came back a couple of minutes later, finding Niko rolled into a little ball on his spot, asleep already. Helen smiled as she walked over to the bed and crawled under the covers before giving him a kiss on his head and falling asleep soon later herself.

Niko was still sleeping when she woke up the next morning so she got dressed before waking him up. She wasn't about to take the risk of Will simply ignoring her request, order, whatsoever from the previous night and she had said she'd be bringing Niko to him anyway. Niko meowed in protest and blinked at her a couple of times.

"I'm sorry, sweetie but I have to go and Will's waiting already."

Helen smiled and picked him up, making her way to Will's office. Niko snuggled into her arms; he'd miss her when she was gone, even if it only were a couple of hours. And having Will out of all people to look after him didn't help the matter. Quite the contrary, actually. He then decided to have some fun instead and make a bit of trouble. Apparently he was good at that.

They reached Will's office, Helen softly scratching Niko's head as he purred and Will looked up from his desk when she greeted him.

"Do I really have to?"

She gave him a brief look but smiled, nodding with a raised eyebrow.

"Put him on the mattress, please." Will asked politely, "Anything I should be aware of?"

"No. Just give him attention when he asks for it and you should be fine. He's probably going to go back to sleep for a while."

"Fantastic…" Will mumbled, watching Helen drop the kitten on the bed.

Niko looked up at her somewhat sadly and she smiled, nodding at Will again before kneeling down in front of the bed, scratching Niko once more and leaning over to place a short kiss on his head.

"I'll see you when I'm back. Behave."

"You do remember that that's still Tesla you just kissed, right?"

Helen chose not to answer that question as she got up, a brief smile on her lips before leaving. Niko looked after her and once he couldn't see her anymore, he started meowing madly, turning to Will as if asking him to do something to get her back.

He rolled his eyes. Perfect. Just great. It already started and he'd have to deal with it for probably half the day or so. Fantastic. He briefly wondered what would happen if he would shoot Tesla now but Magnus hadn't said a word about him possibly still being a vampire and he knew he wouldn't get away with it so maybe not.

"Will you please shut up? She'll be back soon enough. There's nothing I can do about that."

Niko kept meowing sadly and Will sighed.

"You're not that annoying when you're with her …Just … go back to sleep or something. I have work to do."

Niko briefly stopped, tilting his head before turning it to look at the mattress, then back to Will who was still waiting for him to do something. Niko sniffed the bed for a few seconds before jumping on it, curling into a ball and Will let out a breath of relief. Maybe this wouldn't be half as bad if Niko simply slept some more. Hopefully.

"Good kitty…"

Niko looked up at him shortly. Really? He ignored Will and went back to sleep for a couple of hours.

Once he was awake again, he jumped off of the mattress and onto Will's desk, meowing loudly.

"Come on! You got to be kidding me. Get down."

When Will tried to grab Niko, he pawed his hand away, hissing loudly.

"Get down there, Tesla! I have work to do still."

He tried his luck again, catching the kitten this time and Niko kept hissing, scratching Will's face as he could reach it until he let him down again.

"God damnit!"

Niko jumped off of the desk, clearly proud of himself, before Will could get him again. Will got up and went to check his face.

"Little bastard." He cursed when he saw the red and partly bloody streaks all over his face.

Niko surely hadn't missed him. The kitten lay on the bed once more when he got back, eyes closed and hopefully already asleep again. Will sat back down, staring and glaring at the tiny form for a while before he got back to work.

A couple of minutes later, he heard more than saw Niko scratching his desk and he jumped out of his seat, stalking towards the kitten.

"Hey! Stop that! Right now!" Will shouted, trying to reach Niko but he was faster and seemed to have a lot of fun with this whole situation.

He saw the scratches in the wood of his desk from the corner of his eyes and groaned. He was going to murder Tesla. Kitten or not.

Niko however, had noticed the new person standing in the door frame and quickly escaped towards it, meowing and purring happily when he got picked up. Will followed his movements and straightened up.

"Magnus! Thank God you're back! That little devil…"

Helen restrained herself from chuckling when she saw the injuries on Will's face and Niko's innocent expression when she looked down at him, scolding him silently.

"Just get him away from me before I shoot him." Will mumbled and Helen nodded her thanks before leaving.

"Really, Niko? Really?"

He meowed up at her, licking her hand when she sighed and started scratching him softly, making her way back to her room.

Incorrigible.


	7. Returning The Favour

_I apologise for the delay of five months in updating this but .. yeah, no, I'll spare you my excuses. Thing is, I'm back and I'm working on the next chapters already, having enough ideas for 3-5, so updates for these will follow more closely than.. this. Huge thanks to Donna for the ideas and for getting me back to this. _

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><p>When Kate got back from the meeting with her brother, she was glad not to run into anyone. It was early afternoon by now and the meeting had been hell. There had been bad news over bad news and she was more upset than anything else.<p>

She made her way through the corridors, debating where she should go to. Her options were quickly limited to her room and the gym and both sounded more than tempting. Kate sighed before settling on both, going to her room first to grab a few things and collect herself a little, being certain she'd have more peace here than the gym, should anyone come by. She flopped down on her bed for a while, loosing track of time. Everything was messed up again. Thad had gotten into troubles again and she had agreed on helping him out of his misery once more. And on top of everything, their grandmother had gotten pretty sick too but there wasn't much she could do about it. She hadn't seen her in years, not necessarily on best terms with her but she worried anyway. This was just great.

Next time she was checking her clock, something over an hour had passed and she sighed again quietly, getting up and changing into more comfortable clothes for a proper work-out. She left in hopes of not seeing anyone. Kate didn't want to have to explain her mood or how that meeting had gone.

Barely having made it out of her room and into the hallway, she heard a small meow behind her and turned around, crusing under her breath when she saw the small kitten, its head tilted aside and looking up at her.

"Hey. Whatcha doing out here?" She asked, smiling a little.

Niko just kept looking at her like that until she shook her head and shrugged.

"Whatever. Doesn't matter anyway. I gotta go. See you later, maybe." Kate waved at him before resuming her way.

He stared after her for a bit, deciding to follow her when she was a couple of feet away. It was obvious to him that she was in distress and he didn't like it. She had been nothing but nice to him, even offering to take him to the vet when he had gotten himself drunk and perhaps he could repay the favour now. He would certainly try. At least cheering up he should manage.

Niko tip toe'd after her, annoyed when he nearly missed the lift she took as if she had tried on purpose. He looked up at her, walking between her feet when she ignored him, purring loudly and poking his head against her leg.

"You're not gonna leave me alone, are you?" Kate sighed after a while, gazing down at him and picking him up once the lift reached the upper level, "Fine. As long as you don't expect me to tell you what happened because I won't."

The young woman smiled a little anyway. It was rather sweet, actually.

She put Niko back down when she entered the gym and he looked after her, hopping onto the bench and lying down there, his head on his paws and eyes on her. She obviously wanted to be alone so he appreciated being ... tolerated, for a lack of a better word. But that was just it after all. And he knew he only was because of his current self.

He liked Kate. His kitten self even more so and he would neither make a secret out of it, nor display it openly for everyone to see. For now, he just wanted to keep an eye on her. He nearly dozed off a couple of times, far from willing to. Maybe Kate would leave him behind if he did and hide somewhere and he wouldn't let her do that. If she wouldn't talk, fine, but he'd keep her company for sure. Cheering up had worked on Helen before after all so perhaps his presence would help Kate as well.

The young woman worked out quietly for some time, punching the bag until she stopped suddenly, biting her lip and letting her forehead drop against it. She wasn't one to cry easily but the feeling grew overwhelming and soon she wouldn't be able to keep it in any more. Niko sensed it and got off of his spot, quickly making his way to her. She turned around, sliding down to the ground and patting her lap for him to climb on to. And he did, settling there and purring quietly, his eyes on her. She smiled sadly, her fingers running through his fur. It was nice.

"Why are you trying to cheer me up? I didn't know you to care so much."

Niko meowed at her and she smiled again. It was really sweet and she appreciated it.

"Are you gonna tell anyone? No, wait, nevermind, you can't talk. I really don't get why you care but ... thanks."

He meowed again, curling up into a small ball on her lap, always purring. It got louder when she scratched his head and she had to chuckle a little.

"It's funny. You don't let anyone but Magnus touch you and stuff but here you are all cute and cuddling just to cheer me up." Kate mused.

Niko looked up at her, his head tilted to the side and she could swear there was a smile on his face.

"The secret's safe with me, Tesla."

There was something about his presence that helped her calm down and she relaxed visibly. She kept the caresses up, was it taking her mind off and she nearly dozed off after a while.

Kate only noticed the newcomer when Niko meowed happily and she heard the clicking of heels behind her. She had been really out just now not to realize sooner. She blinked a couple of times and looked up at Magnus, smiling sheepishly but much to her surprise, the kitten remained right where it was.

"Hey, doc."

"Kate. Are you alright?" Helen asked softly, kneeling down next to her friend and running her fingers through Niko's fur.

"I.. Yeah. Just some family stuff. Don't worry about it. What are you doing here though?"

"I was looking for Niko. He walked off a while ago and didn't come back for some time. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't making troubles. He seems worried though." She smiled a little, Niko looking at her and half pouting.

"Yeah. It's okay, really."

"Do you want to talk? I have time."

Kate shook her head, slowing down her movements on Niko's head who looked at her quizzically. She did appreciate the offer though. The small kitten nudged her hand with his head, demanding more attention. Kate grinned at him, surprised, but did as requested, scratching him again.

"He's been following me around ever since he ran into me."

"To make sure you'll be fine, it seems. If you change your mind, you can come and see me any time."

"I know, thanks." Kate smiled, picking up Niko before standing up again.

Helen got up too, taking a good look at Kate. She hadn't been crying and she didn't look too upset either. Good. Niko seemed to have been successful. Kate smiled at Niko gratefully before handing him to Helen, having him climb up her shoulders and licking her cheek happily. The younger one scratched him again briefly and thanked the both of them before grabbing her things and leaving again, clearly feeling better.

Helen remained in the gym for a couple of more minutes, reaching up for Niko before she headed back to her room.

"Looking after Kate, hm? That's sweet." She said and Niko meowed, protesting a little.

He didn't want his reputation to go to waste completely because of this incident. He'd already never hear the end of it as it was and no one needed to know he had done that for Kate. He cuddled into Helen further, poking her cheek with his head and she dropped the matter for now, smiling and entering her room a couple of minutes later.

She dropped onto the bed once Niko had jumped on it and he climbed back onto her, resting on her chest and purring contently, face hidden in his paws as she let her fingers run through his fur once more. She would ask Kate again tomorrow, checking up on her. Although she was hoping the young woman would come talk to her on her own. Helen fell asleep like that, Niko continuing his purrs until he, too, fel asleep.

Kate was a bit more restless, watching some TV, the thought of Niko from before helping her relax and keeping her mind off and she fell asleep about an hour later.


	8. Lost

_Hello again. As promised, here's the next chapter. The next one should be up in a week as well. Big thanks again to Donna who came up with this adorable idea. Why not drop me a line once you're done reading, folks? ;)_

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><p>A couple of days later, Niko found himself bored and running through the Sanctuary. Kate wasn't available and no one else was on his list of people he felt like bugging for attention today. Helen herself was busy working and didn't have any time for him, sadly, so he had decided to walk around on his own for a while. He somehow reached the foyer some time later and sneaked out when he had the chance to. Of course without anyone noticing.<p>

Niko made his way through the streets close to the Sanctuary before walking off further, trying to avoid masses of people. He did not want to be petted or something by some random stranger and it would happen, he knew. Since no one had been with him before, this was a very welcomed entertainment, although dirty and loud. And confusing. He had not taken the change of scale into account.

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><p>Some time later, Helen was done working and looking for Niko when she noticed he wasn't around any more. Once she couldn't find him anywhere, not even at his usual spots, she searched for her team. Perhaps they had seen him somewhere or knew where he was.<p>

"Hey. Have you seen Niko?" She asked when she ran into Henry and Will.

"Huh? No, don't think so. Why?" Henry replied, frowning a little. What had he done this time?

"I can't seem to find him anywhere."

"It's Tesla. I guess he ran into troubles again." Will said, shrugging.

"Will... I thought he might be at any of his usual spots or even the wine cellar but nothing."

"So, are you telling us he's not here any more? Do you think he went out? Like... out? Of here?"

"Oh dear, I hope not." Helen sighed. If he was out indeed, this would not be easy.

As much as Will still disliked Tesla, if he had really made it into the city, they needed to find him before he ran into any more trouble. Henry was worried too, more openly than Will and for more genuine reasons as he did like the man to some degree at least and Helen was obviously worried.

"I could try finding him? If he's really outside, I might get lucky." Henry offered and Helen smiled at him, nodding gratefully, "Getting on it then."

He left again and Will stood there for a while, not quite sure what to do and nearly a little awkward.

"I know what you're thinking, Will, but please, spare me the comment."

"I'll... go and help Henry."

"Thank you."

Once Will had gone to follow Henry, Helen decided to go out and look for him herself. This could be a very long search, making it an even longer day but she'd try. Perhaps she would get lucky and she certainly hoped that Henry and Will would find him or at least a clue to where he could be. She also hoped Niko hadn't made it too far yet.

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><p>Niko was lost. He had no idea where he was. Everything was so much bigger now and he had lost orientation somewhere. A little afraid of the world around him in his current state, he looked for a peaceful spot somewhere quiet and green and away from people. He found one and rested there, meowing quietly for some time but not daring to nap. He didn't trust people. It seemed it hadn't been his brightest idea to go out on his own like this. But he had been so bored with the lack of attention and he hadn't been out in about two weeks either.<p>

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><p>Helen was on her way to the park close-by, doubting the small kitten had gone to the main streets in the area. He wasn't very fond of people after all. Will called her after a couple of long minutes, letting her know that they had indeed spotted Niko close to the park she was at, so she was good in the area she was currently in; hopefully. She kept looking for him, walking to the further areas, certain he had searched for a calm and quiet spot to hide, away from people as to not be seen by anyone. They did tend to give kittens attention or pick them up and she knew he would not like that. At all.<p>

She was successful at last, finding his small form meowing under a tree.

"Niko..." Helen sighed, glad to see him alright and he looked up at her when he heard the very familiar voice.

She smiled sadly at his expression. He looked so lost it was quite adorable.

"Come here, sweetie."

She knelt down and he walked over to her quickly before she picked him up and stood up again. He meowed sadly and licked her cheek as he reached it, clearly happy to be back with her.

"You got us worried, Niko. You can't just run off like that." Helen stated.

She made her way back to the Sanctuary with him in her arms and he visibly calmed down. He snuggled into her and his his face, wanting the outside world to go away and to get back as fast as possible. Sadly, he'd get lost again on his own, not even sure where he was right now but luckily enough, Helen had already set a fast pace herself.

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><p>They arrived back at the Sanctuary some minutes later and she let the boys know that Niko was back sound and safe as well, thanking them all the same.<p>

She walked to her room and sat down in one of the chairs in the middle of her room and placed Niko on her lap. He purred and meowed happily, snuggling in further again. He half hid his face under his paws, not sure if she was mad at him or what and she smiled softly.

"I swear if you ever scare me like that again, I will hurt you whenever you're back to your usual self."

Niko looked up at her cutely then but her face remained serious. She had been really worried and she didn't care about showing it as openly as she did. He had probably scared himself too. He meowed an apology and she let her fingers run over the bridge of his nose.

"Don't run through the city on your own."

He purred, half nodding and poking her hand with his head, getting more out of the touch and certainly more than content. He loved it when she did that and since he had become a kitten, she wore her feelings and emotions on her sleeve far more than ever before with him. He wondered if that would change again when he wasn't a kitten any more but he had to admit that the thought was upsetting him so he concentrated on her touch again. He had been scared out alone when he had realized he had been lost. He had probably never been so happy to see her.

"You know, Will was helping to find you too." Helen smiled softly, looking down at him.

Niko stared up at her, cocking his head to the side.

"I know."

It hadn't been too much of a surprise but it had been nice either way, especially since he had offered on his own to help. He did seem to get along with him better although they clearly still had a lot of differences. Of course it was still Tesla and Will. They would never truly get along but she'd take whatever peace between them she would get.

"Get some sleep, dear. You've had an exhausting day."

Niko yawned, agreeing with her and getting comfortable again before closing his eyes and dozing off shortly after. She was right.

Helen remained with him like this before carefully picking him up and walking over to the bed, putting him down on one of her pillows where he snuggled in, facing her as she lay down next to him.

"Goodnight."

She fell asleep close to him some time later, smiling and happy to have him back with her.


	9. Stocktaking

_Sorry about the delay, once again. I need to get this in order again but school's kept me busy and I was stuck with another idea for this. The next chapter is in work and I've got plenty of new ideas that should not be a problem writing out so stay patient everyone. Thanks to Donna for the idea._

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><p>About a week later everything had calmed down again after Niko's adventure in the city and he hadn't really gone anywhere without Magnus. Where ever she was, he was somewhere close-by, usually within a radius of a couple of feet at best.<p>

The whole team was busy in the basement, going through the storage unit. Niko wasn't too far off, playing with the dust that was everywhere. There wasn't anything else to do for him but wait, perhaps bring some entertainment into the whole situation but Helen had made it clear that he had to behave or there would be consequences. Nothing he would like so he tried not to cause chaos. He had meowed at her, given her all the cuteness he could gather but there had been absolutely no negotiating with her.

He sneezed quite loudly when he swirled up some of the dust, his entire body shaking by the force of it and he looked around, lost and not sure what had just happened. No one seemed to pay it any attention though so he went back to haunting it, trying to catch it time and time again.

The others were too busy sorting things out and checking through every crate and box they could find standing around. There was so much stuff. Will and Henry couldn't even remember some of it. Helen had nearly forgotten about a few items herself and so had the BigGuy. Kate on the other hand simply had fun with what she found lying around.

"Hey, what's that? It looks ancient." She asked, holding up an old gun for the others to see.

At least it looked like a gun. That thing was really, really old. Helen walked over to her, chuckling softly once she had blown the dust off of it.

"It's the first gun that we made ourselves as the Sanctuary. A stunner, to be more precise. Nikola and James worked on it back in the day." She explained.

Her eyes found Niko, who was currently lying on his back in the dust a few feet away from them, looking up at her. Kate grinned brightly when she saw it and, unable to resist the temptation, she got out her phone to snap a picture of him like that. She stuck her tongue out when he seemed offended, not fast enough to avoid the snapshot.

"This is going to be so useful one day."

"Blackmail?" Will asked, clearly amused himself.

Kate turned to him, her phone back in her pocket and she raised her eyebrows, smirking and nodding. Helen shook her head. This was going to be good.

"You do realize that he will make you regret that, right?"

"Neh. He's a kitten, doc. And if he wants to scratch my eyes out, I am going to be a pain in his ass. Then he can see who else will be nice to him." The young woman declared, her eyes on Niko.

He got up and shook himself briefly before licking over his fur, ignoring them.

Kate put the stunner back in its previous place and they all went back to work.

* * *

><p>Niko peeked up when he noticed foreign movements around him and he followed them curiously, his eyes sparkling when he spotted their source. A mouse. He cowered himself together, pressing himself onto the ground as he moved, careful to not be noticed by his target. He waved his tail around for a bit, readying himself as the mouse came to a halt and the next second he jumped out of his spot and onto the animal.<p>

The others whipped around when they heard something crash behind them but before anyone had the time to react and get to it, Niko came out from between two crates, a seemingly dead mouse in his mouth and a very proud look on his face. He walked over to Will and Kate, dropping his prey at their feet and looking up at them expectantly, sitting down and waiting.

"What? You expect me to pat you or something?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows.

Niko was about to make a pouting face when Will all but shrieked quietly, jumping away from the dead mouse as he registered it. He had never been fond of those but this? Just no. The small kitten smiled proudly, meowing happily at the reaction.

"How can you be such a girl working with abnormals?" Kate asked, shaking her head.

"I'm not. I just don't like mice or kittens bringing me dead ones." He said, half glaring at Niko.

The kitten didn't care though, a little disappointed that Kate had barely reacted. It didn't matter either way, had he gotten a good scare out of Will instead. He did wonder what it would take to get a raise out of the young woman however. He'd wreck his brain about that later, he decided as he meowed up at her. Kate rolled her eyes but picked him up so he could cuddle into her arms. From all the children, she was definitely his favourite and the only one allowed to touch him in his current form.

"I'm not going to clean that up." Will declared, pointing at the mouse in disgust.

BigGuy growled and slapped him upside his head. Neither was he. Niko licked Kate's arm when she started scratching over his head absently.

"Ouch.. I'm just saying. I mean.. Did he have to kill it? … It is dead, right?" Will mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. That had hurt.

Niko looked up at him proudly, agreeing with a purr.

"You are so proud of yourself, huh?" Kate chuckled.

That kitten was quite something. Most of all a pain in the ass when he wasn't being cute. While Will and the BigGuy still half argued over the dead animal, Henry also staying far away from what was happening, Helen rolled her eyes and went to pick it up to dispose it.

Kate yelped quietly when Niko decided it was a good time to climb up her shoulders, somehow managing not to scratch her front too much in the process of getting up. Once Helen was back, she smiled at them, Niko once again looking a little too proud and Kate pouting over the laughs from the others.

"A warning would have been nice, Tesla." She mumbled.

"Well, while he is using you as a tree or whatever, we'll go back to work. Just keep him away from making troubles, yes?"

"Got it." She nodded, sitting down on one of the crates.

At least there was something positive about the matter now. As cool as it was to find all those old things, she hated doing stocktaking. It was so boring. She played with the kitten on her shoulders instead, teasing him.

* * *

><p>The team finished with everything in the meantime, being done a few hours later. The lack of help, if only one person, certainly hadn't helped with getting it done quickly. Niko had fallen asleep at some point and so Kate was stuck in an awkward position, the kitten still on her shoulders.<p>

Helen made her way to them when she had put away the last thing and took him off of the young woman, careful not to wake him up. Kate got up and stretched, smiling at her.

"Thanks. Are you done?"

"Yes. Thank you for keeping him entertained."

"Sure.. He can be really cute sometimes. When he's not being a demon." She grinned before nodding at her and following the boys outside, had they waited for her.

Helen left as well, Niko surprisingly still asleep in her arms. As long as he wouldn't make it a habit to bring them dead things, it would be fine. And it had been quite funny to see Will jump out of his skin over the small yet dead animal.


	10. Halloween Special

_Happy Halloween, everyone! Just a short in-between chapter for today. Pure unapologetic fluff. Thanks to Donna and Tomorrow_Begins for the inspiration on this one._

* * *

><p>With Halloween just around the corner, it was time for the annual pumpkin carving. The BigGuy had gotten them a good couple of them a day before, having stored them in the mainlab.<p>

The team got together for the event itself, meeting in the lab for the fun part. Niko had gone along as well, knowing he had to be careful with the knives and not getting in the way too much. He settled one the table and between the pumpkins, looking around. This looked like fun, actually.

He watched the others empty the vegetables, excited for some reason. Once the first ones were done, he jumped into it, stepping around for a while until he was somewhat satisfied and comfortable in it.

Kate noticed as she just wanted to start carving that one and she just crossed her arms, grinning. She left him in there, going to the next one to work on instead. She started cutting out the eyes, Niko peeking over the edge of his pumpkin to watch her. She smiled over him but didn't stop with what she was doing.

While he had never done anything like that before himself, he observed carefully, excited before he got back into his pumpkin and attempting to do the same he had just seen from the inside, clawing at the orange flesh.

Kate stopped, deciding to watch him for a bit and she chuckled softly at his tries to make everything out of this. She went back to her own piece of work a couple of minutes later.

Helen just finished with her, an average carved one, nothing special about it yet but she'd do more later on. She went searching for Niko, not having seen him ever since they had started emptying the pumpkins. She smiled amused when she found him with Kate. The young woman beamed at her, handing her a small carved piece of pumpkin and the older one chuckled, nodding as she understood what she should do with it.

Niko looked up at her when he noticed the new presence, meowing contently. She scratched his head softly before placing the previously handed item on his head. His eyes widened and he cocked his head aside, meowing again. The pumpkin hat didn't fall off but it shifted further down onto his face. Kate beamed broadly at the picture, was he looking really adorable like that.

The boys came over when they heard the chuckles, Henry awing while Will was simply amused beyond reason.

The kitten was half pouting, half excited, just sitting in his pumpkin with his little hat.

"We should get him a cape or something." Henry mused.

"Make him sparkle? I've got something somewhere from last year." Will threw in and Niko meowed, offended.

"No sparkles, it seems. You know what..I'll get that cape." Kate grinned, running off to do just that.

Niko meowed after her, shaking his head until the hat fell off and he scratched himself behind his ear. Helen picked him up and put him next to the pumpkin he had been occupying to finish the carving he had started properly.

Deciding not to wait until it would be safe to be back in his, he hopped into Kate's, poking through the eyes of the pumpkin with his paw. Henry played with him like that for a while, Niko half rolling onto his back in the vegetables as he tried to catch Henry's finger. The young man chuckled while Will went back to work. How Tesla managed to be this cute was beyond him. Just as he was about to actually pass the pumpkin and the kitten in it, Niko put a little too much pressure on the inside of it and so it rolled over him, trapping him under it. He meowed, lost and Will put the pumpkin back the way it should be, Niko hopping back inside and before he knew what was going on, Will had put the head of the vegetable back onto the rest of it, closing it. Niko was as amused as he was lost about it, poking whatever he could. When Henry left, he changed the angle of the top so it wouldn't close off the entire thing.

By the time Kate was back, a couple of more pumpkins had been carved with the strangest and funniest things and Niko was all but hiding in hers. He was looking through the carved out eyes of the vegetable when Kate stopped in front of it. He sat up again then, the top on top of his head and meowing up at her.

"Geez! What are you doing in there? Eh, doesn't matter."

She picked him up, taking the new hat off of him and scratching through his fur before she put the piece of tissue she had gotten on his back, tying it loosely. It looked like a cape, just like she had said she'd get him.

"Heh. Now look at you. All ready for Halloween, Tesla." She grinned proudly.

He meowed at her, half purring before he started fighting with the cape until he gave up on it and hopped back into his pumpkin instead. He hid there and rolled himself into a small ball, the cape working as a blanket and he actually fell asleep soon after, his spot warm and soft.

Kate and the others who had watched the scene shook their heads and went back to carving the view pumpkins that were left to do. They were done some time later and swarmed out to place them throughout the Sanctuary, leaving Niko's standing where it was. It was just too cute to disturb him and for once he hadn't actually made any troubles.


End file.
